


Learning to Accept

by SleepyAlecLightwood



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alec Lightwood Deserves Nice Things, Alec wearing makeup, Fluff, Fluff and Slight Angst, Fluffy Ending, Hodge mentioned, Insecure Alec Lightwood, M/M, Makeup, Malec, Post-Episode: s01e12 Malec, Young Alec Lightwood, Young Jace, fluffy boyfriends, slight angst, young Isabelle Lightwood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-28
Updated: 2017-06-28
Packaged: 2018-11-20 00:24:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11324820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SleepyAlecLightwood/pseuds/SleepyAlecLightwood
Summary: Alexander Lightwood believes that he is feeling something he shouldn't, like he isn't allowed to tap into a different side of himself. Read how Alec learns and accepts himself fully.





	Learning to Accept

**Author's Note:**

> PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING!
> 
> This is one of the first stories I have posted and trust me when I say, its not very good. However, I would like to grow and expand in my writing skills. Please comment some prompts and I will do my best to portray them through writing. Comment absolutely any prompt you would like to see written for malec or any other pairing in the Shadowhunter Chronicles if you wouldn't mind, I'm up for anything!
> 
> Thank you so much for clicking on my work and I hope you enjoy! Please comment and critique!

The first time Alexander Lightwood wore makeup was when he was only sixteen years old. It was a quiet afternoon in the New York institute, with most of the other Shadowhunters being out on random missions all around New York City, leaving only Alec, Izzy, Jace and Hodge left in the institute. 

Hodge was in his office and Jace has ventured off long ago, telling the two Lightwood siblings that he was gong to train. 

Alec had been in his room for most of the day, curled up in his small twin bed with some mundane fantasy novel he had begged his parents for months earlier. He had eventually stopped asking for the book after he was lectured by his parents about how his shadowhunting deeds come above silly mundane customs, soon forgetting that the novel even existed. He was shocked when he had received it as a birthday gift from Jace, the pages becoming worn after the amount of times he had read the book since he had gotten it months ago. 

Alec however, was hardly able to focus on the words in front of him, his mind consumed with the thoughts of Jace.   
His hair, his smile, the cockiness he had learned to love-

“ALEC!” a voice interrupted his thoughts, his face turning a deep red. He placed the slip of paper that served as his bookmark in between the pages and turned to see the face of his baby sister, practically bouncing up and down in excitement with a small black tube in her hand. 

Alec couldn't help but smile at the happiness that shown on Izzy’s face as he sat up, holding out his arms for his sister.   
Izzy let out a small squeak and ran into her brother’s open arms, curling up against him. 

Alec let out a small laugh and wrapped his arms around the young curl, holding her tightly. “What do you have there, Iz?” Alec asked, a large smile on his face as his sister nuzzled her face against his neck. 

“I took mom’s lipstick from the dresser in her bedroom.” Izzy grinned, holding up the small tube triumphantly. 

Alec couldn’t help but laugh at his sister’s antics, rubbing her back gently. “You know that you shouldn’t steal stuff Iz.” he sighed, not wanted to admit how proud he was of her. 

Isabelle laughed quietly and pouted, giving Alec the puppy-like look. “But I wanted to give my big brother a makeover!” she exclaimed, looking up at Alec pleadingly. 

Alec avoided looking at his sister’s face, knowing that he would cave in. “Izzy, no.” he sighed, trying to keep a stern expression on his face. 

The younger girl let out a small whimper and stuck out her bottom lip more. “Alecccccc!” she whined, tugging on his wrist, trying to get him to look at her. She knew how to get her way, her brother is a huge softie if you get to know him.   
When Alec wouldn’t look at her, she jumped up and grabbed his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her. She stuck out her bottom lip again and her eyes were wet with tears. “Please big brother.” she pleaded. 

She internally cheered when she saw his eyes soften and his shoulders slump in defeat. “Fine, but only the lipstick.” he said sternly, happy with his decision when he saw how Izzy’s eyes brightened. 

Izzy clapped her hands together and situated herself besides Alec, taking the cap off of the lipstick. Her tongue poked out between her lips, a habit that both of the Lightwood siblings possessed when they were focused on a task. Izzy kept commanding Alec to be still while she shakily moved the lipstick across his mouth, trying to be as precise as possible. After all, she was still learning. 

“Tadaa!” Isabelle exclaimed, shoving the cap back onto the lipstick. She jumped off of the bed and yanked Alec onto his feet. 

“Look, Look!” she exclaimed, shoving him towards the mirror in the corner of his bedroom. 

Alec’s lips parted when he saw his reflection, the application of the lipstick was a bit shaky, but the deep purple color brought out the color of his eyes, standing out against his pale skin. Alec couldn’t help but smile, the makeup making him feel...confident in some sort of way. He looked back into the mirror and met Izzy’s expectant gaze. 

“Thank you Iz. I love it.” He whispered, his voice cracking slightly when he turned back around to look at his younger sister. He pulled her into a tight hug, unable to keep the smile off of his face.

The moment was shattered however when his bedroom door slammed open and Jace walked in. Alec immediately puled away from Izzy and covered his mouth with his hand to conceal the makeup. 

Jace paused and raised an eyebrow at the pair. 

“Come on Alec, show him how pretty you look!” Isabelle exclaimed, tugging on Alec’s arm gently. 

Jace smirked slightly and walked up to Alec, who’s face turned an even deeper shade of red. “Yeah, Alec. Show me how pretty you look.” He teased, yanking Alec’s hand away from his mouth. 

Alec let out a quiet gasp, too shocked to move. Tears filled his eyes when he heard Jace’s laugh echo throughout his room.   
“Oh come on Alec, don’t be like that! You don’t actually like this crap, do you?” He laughed, shoving Alec’s shoulder. 

Alec let out a quiet whimper and ran out of the room, tears streaming down his face out of humiliation and self- hatred. He ran quickly with his head down, trying to get to the nearest bathroom without being spotted. His mission got cut short however when he slammed into something- or someone. He realized when he looked up, his eyes meeting ones that seemed to be made out of gold. 

The man laughed quietly, his beautiful laugh disappearing when he saw the tears streaming down the boy’s face. He helped the boy back up and leaned down a bit to meet his gaze.

“Oh darling, what happened?” The man asked gently. 

Alec didn’t respond, looking up at the man in amazement, staring at the glitter and other makeup products that adorned the man’s features. 

The man laughed softly. “Alexander Lightwood I presume?” He questioned, wiping away some of the stray tears that were trailing down Alec’s face. 

“Just Alec.” Alec whispered, hiss voice hoarse and his face an alarming shade of red. 

“Well, Just Alec, I must say, that lipstick looks absolutely stunning on you.” The man smiled, running his fingers through the boy’s hair before turning to walk away. 

“Remember Alexander, never be afraid to be who you are.” The man said softly before smiling and walking down the hallway. 

“Wait! What’s your name!?” Alec cried out. 

“Magnus Bane.” The man called out, flashing Alec a smile before exiting the institute. 

“Magnus Bane.” Alec whispered, a small smile on his face.

Well, maybe Jace wasn’t so pretty after all.  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
A few years later…

Alec’s sharp laughter echoed off the walls of Magn-their loft. 

If you looked inside, you would see Magnus chasing Alec around the loft, nearly tripping over Alec’s bow and arrows that had been tossed to the side earlier that day when Alec returned home from the institute. 

Magnus had finally gained an advantage over his Shadowhunter, backing the younger man into the corner of the living room. Alec was pleading with Magnus, begging for him to get away, his words barley understandable through his laughter. Magnus had a mischievous glint in his eyes while approaching Alec, a tube of eyeliner and lipstick in his hand. 

“Mags, please! No!” Alec laughed, cowering in the corner. 

“Oh Alexander...” Magnus smirked. “You must want this, you aren’t even fighting back.” he teased.

Alec pouted, Magnus’ tough, demon fighting shadowhunter actually pouted. In that moment, Magnus couldn’t help but be proud of how far they have come as individuals, as a couple. 

“I just don’t wanna hurt you.” Alec lied, smiling. 

“Oh how you underestimate me.” Magnus sighed, smirking. The glitter around his eyes glinting underneath the artificial lighting in the loft. “Just a little bit and that will be all.” Magnus whispered, giving Alec a puppy pout and wide eyes, a trick that he had learned from Izzy when they first had started dating a few years prior. 

Not that he would ever admit that to Alec.

He watched as Alec’s eyes softened and his shoulders slump slightly. “Oh fine, but only a little bit.” Alec warned, glaring at Magnus sternly. 

Magnus rolled his eyes. “Oh darling...do you know what that even means?” he cooed, pulling Alec against him, leaning up to kiss the grumpy looking pout on the man’s face. 

Magnus pulled away when he felt Alec smile against his lips, grabbing the shadowhunter’s wrist and pulling him into the bedroom. Magnus quickly changed into his boxer briefs and one of Alec’s sweaters that he secretly enjoyed, not that he would ever tell Alec that. Over the years, Magnus had managed to get Alec to open up in many ways, but the boy would definitely not open his mind to other fashion choices.

When he entered the bedroom, he saw his boyfriend rummaging through the makeup on Magnus’ vanity, alarmed by the amount of different products that were laid around. 

“Sit down darling.” Magnus demanded softly, motioning to the bed. 

Alec obeyed, sitting at the edge of the bed, watching Magnus put aside a small pile of makeup to apply on Alec. Alec gulped when Magnus approached him with a large pink pallet of uniquely colored powders and an array of brushes. 

“For today, we are going to skip the foundation, I will start you off easy.” Magnus winked, dipping the largest brush into a pale purple powder. 

Alec watched curiously and Magnus’ eyes met his own, the older man gave him a large grin, clearly pleased with the situation at hand. 

“Shut your eyes, Alexander.” Magnus said gently. 

Alec shut his eyes and bit his lip. Something about this situation seemed oddly intimate to Alec. The young shadowhunter wasn’t sure why, maybe it was because he was with his boyfriend, someone he loves and would trust-does trust with his life and they are exploring a new side to Alec, something labeled as feminine, something he was taught not to explore all of his life. 

Magnus smiled softly and pressed his lips against Alec’s forehead, gently stroking the brush across Alec’s eyelids, spreading the light purple powder. 

Alec let out a small laugh, opening his eyes when Magnus pulled away. Magnus was looking down at his boyfriend with an eyebrow raised. 

“It tickled.” Alec muttered, his face turning red. 

Magnus sighed, dipping a different brush, smaller brush into a darker purple. “How did I end up with someone as adorable as you?” He smiled, chuckling quietly when he saw the blush deepen on Alec’s face. 

“Oh darling.” Magnus cooed.

Alec groaned quietly and shut his eyes, relaxing at the feeling of the brush and Magnus’ soft hand caressing his cheek. 

Magnus continued his work, humming quietly while he applied the eyeliner. After the eyeliner he added a soft, subdued highlighter to Alec’s cheekbones. Alec had stayed relatively quiet throughout the whole process, almost falling asleep to the sound of Magnus’ humming and the gentle feeling of the soft brushes against his skin. 

To finish off the makeup look, Magnus added a light tinted lip gloss. 

“I’m done.” Magnus purred, waking Alec out of his calm state.

“I probably look ridiculous.” Alec pouted, standing up. 

“First of all, that’s and insult to my work.” Magnus teased. “And second of all, Alexander, you look absolutely stunning.” He added seriously. 

Alec smiled softly and a blush appeared bright on his face.

Magnus grinned and forced Alec to shut his eyes, wanting the reveal of his new look to be a surprise. He led his boyfriend over to the large mirror that adorned his vanity. 

“You can open your eyes now!” Magnus said, wrapping his arms around Alec’s waist as Alec opened his eyes. 

There was a period of silence while Alec tilted his head to all sorts of different angles, that old, rare feeling of strength and a strange sort of confidence resurfacing. That feeling was torn down however, when he remembered that this was all just a joke, some sort of experiment 

Not something he should enjoy. 

Magnus watched carefully, searching Alec’s face for some sort of emotion. All he managed to picked up however was amazement, followed by disgust. 

“I look ridiculous.” Alec whispered, the tone in his voice breaking Magnus’ heart. 

“Darling, you do not look ridiculous, you look absolutely stunning.” Magnus assured. 

“I’m not supposed to like this Magnus!” Alec whispered harshly, on the verge of tears. “Why can’t I just be myself..” He whispered, shutting his eyes. 

“Alexander...I know it’s hard, trust me, I would be the one to know.” He started. “But you have to let go of that fear and just be who you desire to be. There will always be the looks of the disgust, but that is just the mask of fear. There will always be whispers and gossip, but block it all out, it will be hard, but in the end, they all have their own insecurities that they have to deal with and they are only jealous that you were able to release those fears.” Magnus explained, tightening his hold on Alec’s body. He looked at their reflection in the mirror and saw tears running down Alec’s face.   
Magnus let out a shaky breath, on the verge of tears himself and let go of Alec, forcing his boyfriend to face him. 

“Oh baby...” Magnus he whispered, offering Alec a small smile before he leaned up, kissing away the tears, some of his own slipping down his face. 

“I love you so much.” Alec breathed out, leaning in and kissing Magnus, their tears mixing together.   
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   
When Alec started wearing nail polish and eyeliner to the institute, there were of course the whispers and the disgusted looks, but Alec let those slip past him, keeping a large smile on his face. 

“Magnus did him well.” Izzy whispered to Jace one day, watching proudly while Alec talked to a group of Shadowhunters as the head of the institute. 

Jace smiled proudly, beaming at his Parabatai, remembering the fearful boy Alec once was. This time around, he never said anything to Alec about the makeup, but his actions spoke clearly to Alec when Jace came up to Alec and pulled the taller male, his brother, his Parabatai into a tight hug, making a mental note to thank Magnus when he got the chance.

**Author's Note:**

> PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING!
> 
> This is one of the first stories I have posted and trust me when I say, its not very good. However, I would like to grow and expand in my writing skills. Please comment some prompts and I will do my best to portray them through writing. Comment absolutely any prompt you would like to see written for malec or any other pairing in the Shadowhunter Chronicles if you wouldn't mind, I'm up for anything!
> 
> Thank you so much for clicking on my work and I hope you enjoy! Please comment and critique!


End file.
